FinanceMalta released its annual report for 2022, highlighting the organisation’s work throughout the year to promote Malta as an international financial centre and to contribute to the development of the Maltese financial services sector. For FinanceMalta, the year under review was characterised by a high level of activity, leading to an outstanding track record on both the domestic and international front. The annual report was approved by the Founders of FinanceMalta during the AGM held in April.
In 2022, FinanceMalta played an important role in promoting Malta as a financial centre in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and following the removal of Malta from the FATF greylist. FinanceMalta’s efforts were targeted towards highlighting Malta’s advantages and promoting its reputation as a safe, reliable, and cost-effective jurisdiction. To achieve this end, along with showcasing Malta’s diverse portfolio of financial services and products, FinanceMalta embarked on and executed a business development strategy that combined targeted digital marketing campaigns, public relations initiatives, international events and lobbying.
In 2022 FinanceMalta also commemorated its 15th anniversary and unveiled its new branding to update its image, in line with its modern and professional stature, and to usher in the renewed drive within the organisation. The new brand was rolled out across all communications, including the channels hosting FinanceMalta’s official online presence, such as FinanceMalta’s website, which is regularly updated with relevant multimedia content, and the e-newsletter “Insight”. FinanceMalta also increased its follower base on all social media platforms, revamped its #FinTalks podcasts and participated in five virtual events.
As part of its internationalisation strategy, FinanceMalta was granted the ‘full member’ status within the World Alliance of Financial Centers (WAIFC) on the occasion of the WAIFC Board Meeting that was held in Casablanca, Morocco, on 9-21 October 2022. FinanceMalta also contributed to the EU Roundtable of Financial Centres and Federations in Luxembourg on 21-22 November 2022.
During the year, FinanceMalta participated in 30 in-person events, both locally and overseas. The Foundation, with the contribution of its members, promoted the jurisdiction in some 20 international events which covered all sectors of the financial services, from funds and asset management, to insurance, private wealth, FinTech and capital markets.
Locally, the Foundation hosted several sectoral networking events with the aim of gathering the local industry following the pandemic. These efforts culminated in the 15th Annual Conference themed “Learning from the past: Looking to the Future”, that was addressed by 30 speakers and attended by over 300 delegates. FinanceMalta further boosted its promotional efforts by participating in a number of events organised locally by its founding associations, members, government entities and other stakeholders.
Commenting on FinanceMalta’s performance, Chairman George Vella remarked that: “2022 was the year in which we fully resumed our activities following the pandemic. We organized local gatherings for the various sectors of the industry, we have strongly increased our digital marketing activities and, most importantly, we are glad that many members of FinanceMalta showed great interest in promoting the jurisdiction internationally, which is the core objective of FinanceMalta. This shows that the industry appreciates our offering and is keen to work with us to attract business to Malta. We are extremely satisfied that this interest is further increasing in 2023: more and more members are keen in joining our delegations internationally and we will continue to provide them with such opportunities”.
Besides the impact of FinanceMalta’s endeavours on the financial services sector at large, a total of 191 companies that are registered members of FinanceMalta, including six companies that employ over 200 workers each, benefited from FinanceMalta’s initiatives including representation and participation at international events, sponsorships, specialised training in marketing and PR, and direct networking opportunities.
FinanceMalta membership is open to entities operating within the financial services and legal industry, and to those contributing to the growth that Malta’s financial services industry is experiencing through the work of FinanceMalta.